Defender of the Earth
by WesternEpoch
Summary: Takes place at the end of and following Bojack Unbound. After saving the world once again, Son Gohan considers what it means to have pride in one's self and accomplishments. During a one-on-one with the Prince of all Saiyans, Gohan must consider where his destiny lies. Vegeta may offer a whole new perspective to what it means to be a Proud Saiyan Warrior.


_**Believe in yourself, son.**_

 _ **Unleash your true power.**_

 _ **It's the only way.**_

Son Gohan's eyes snapped open. Before him was a broken mockery of a smoggy skyline, the domed arena from which the poorly conceived Intergalactic World Tournament was taking place. Surrounded by crumbling buildings in a faux-ghost city intended to function as a battleground for competitors, Gohan and his compatriots had waged a fierce battle against the Galaxy Soldiers that had invaded the competition.

In the last year, since the death of the hero Son Goku, the fall of the bio-android Cell, and the rise in fame of the champion Hercule Satan, a relative peace had fallen over the earth. Thousands of people had died at the hands of a monster, and the world had taken its time to mourn. Now, with the malaise of the mundane setting in, and Mr. Satan's minute of fame passing, the time to move on had been ordained, and a celebration of the strength of mankind had been set in motion.

The mogul X.S. Cash had set up the IGWT as gift for his young son, a way to bolster worldwide morale and put Mr. Satan on a higher pedestal than he'd already been entitled to. A competition for amateur fighters to conquer their way through a series of battle zones defended by Mr. Satan's "Intergalactic Fighters", students of his dojo mocked up to look like spacemen. The first man to the end would get to fight the Champ himself. Eager to knock the mustachioed muscle-man down a peg, Gohan and his friends had managed to get through the elimination rounds and into the first set of battle zones. They made it, only to encounter a group of unexpected guests. Real aliens, with a very real thirst for blood.

Five men, Mr. Satan's students and a normal competitor, had been murdered by the invaders, a collection of five teal blue fighters in gypsy garb. They had thought Earth to be an easy conquest, but they were mistaken. Son Gohan was no mere boy, but an alien himself, as were his allies, Vegeta, and Trunks. They were of the Saiyans, a warrior race, with powers beyond comprehension. Alongside the Saiyans came Piccolo, the green skinned Namekian, and their human friends.

The defenders, alien and human alike had put up a valiant effort, but to no avail. Now, Son Gohan lay on his back, his mind reeling with what had just occurred. The leader of the invaders had beaten him down, had him in a crushing bear hug, ready to snap the boy like a twig, when the phantom had appeared. Gohan's deceased father had come from nowhere, for but a moment, and given Gohan the time he needed to collect himself. Now, as he lay on his back, the aliens came for him.

Bido, a tall man with a mohawk and goatee. Zangya, the bombshell with the luscious orange hair that fell to her waist. Bujin, the small man with the turban and the sickening smirk. All of them landed in front of Gohan, prepared to come at him again.

Behind the travelling band of killers was their leader, Bojack. He was struggling to his feet. Sporting scars across his face and chest, wild red hair and lime green skin, the mountain of a man had taken his time in picking apart the Z-Fighters in a one sided battle for the fate of the Earth. As he regained his footing, Bojack shook his head in an attempt to regain clarity.

"Was that… Goku?" the alien mused, shocked that a dead man had appeared from thin air just to punch him and vanish moments later. Granted, Bojack had been crushing the dead man's son in a bear hug.

Gohan rolled onto his hands and knees and let out a deep breath, tapping into the power within him. Even with Goku's momentary intervention, Gohan was now the only fighter left between Bojack and the Earth. Vegeta, Piccolo, Trunks…. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien… all of them had fallen at the hands of these villains. Even Mr. Satan had attempted to intervene, forced into it by the crowd of spectators far above the battle zone, who had come to view the tournament. He lay unconscious nearby, more frightened into it than beaten. Trunks had managed to defeat one of them, but it didn't appear to bother the others, as ruthless as they were. As he was, Gohan had no chance of defeating the aliens. His father's appearance, even as a phantom apparition was a wakeup call.

Gohan climbed to his feet and turned away from his enemies, looking upon the massive hotel building that his father had appeared on.

"I know you're there father," Gohan said clearly, speaking to the shadow that had saved him and vanished. His breathing became rhythmic as he cleared his mind of distraction and focused on the pure emotion within his heart. Gohan focused on the sadness of his father's loss, the shame and being unable to protect the human fighters, the rage that came with the way they had defeated his friends with so little effort. "You came back to save me, and I won't let you down!"

The raging cry that burst from the twelve-year-old's lungs resonated through the enclosed arena as the island the tournament took place on shuddered violently. A golden aura burst around Gohan. His power soared, and the Galaxy Soldiers felt it. While the lackey's all faltered in their air of supreme arrogance, their smiles dropping for a moment, Bojack relished in it, his face splitting into a wide-eyed grin of contempt and glee. He'd rarely met a challenger as resilient as this.

Gohan's aura flourished, his voice cracking as his scream of fury continued. His hair and eyes went from inky black to brilliant gold and emerald green respectively. His hair shot up into a standing position, a single lock falling over his forehead. Bolts of static flared around his body as the concentration of energy he was putting out tore through the atmosphere around him. Gohan turned to face Bojack and his minions.

"I know your kind," Gohan growled, his normally friendly gaze now hardened and furious. "You think you can just waltz in and take our planet."

Bojack chuckled, his eyebrows twitching, as if Gohan was describing the Galaxy Soldier's actions as obscene, rather than the natural order of things.

"But you forgot one thing," Gohan's voice rang with conviction. "I am my father's son!"

The last word was uttered in a prolonged cry as the young man's power flared, ever rising. So furious was the ki that flowed off of the boy that it permeated the very ground they stood on, shone like a light from all corners of darkness and the very cracks of the earth. Structures collapsed and the very oceans rocked in fear of Gohan's immense power. This was the power of a Super Saiyan 2.

Bojack's grin collapsed and sweat beaded on his forehead as his senses became overwhelmed by Gohan's energy. Nothing compared to this in his memory, not even the four Kai in Heaven. He'd encountered this race before, a millenia ago, the accursed violent Saiyans. They were weaklings. This was something… else. The Super Saiyan child began his slow march upon Bojack and his Soldiers, murder in his eyes. The dust on the ground flowed away from every step Gohan took, as if the particles feared for their lives.

"Bujin!" Bojack barked in an implied command. "Bido!"

The aliens sprang into action, flying to positions on either side of Gohan. They threw their arms out in front of them and strings of ki energy flew from their fingers, binding around Gohan's limbs, neck and torso. They held the position, flowing energy from their centers and into the tips of their fingers in an attempt to bind Gohan in place. Still, the boy continued walking, unhindered. Bujin's smirk never left his face, despite the futility of his action, and he charged yet more ki into the strings. Bido followed suit as the two did their best to overload Gohan's nervous system with their ki.

Gohan, growing bored of their pitiful effort to contain him, threw his head back and released an earth shattering scream, the energy surrounding his body snapping the strings in a single discharge and stunning his attackers.

The burst of energy was powerful. Gohan's aura covered the arena in an instant, disrupting the spectrum of light to give everything within Gohan's surroundings an ashy gray haze. Gohan surged with light and color, a beacon in the dark. Bujin and Bido were thrown away by Gohan's mighty push. A great cloud of debris filled the area, and the pair burst from it in an attempt to catch the Super Saiyan off guard. Their strategy came at no avail, as Gohan swept his arm through Bido's midsection as if he were dust in the wind. Gohan turned and did the same to Bujin with a kick to the side. Both warriors were obliterated in the attack, their fractured bodies dissolving under the pressure of Gohan's aura.

Gohan turned his attention back towards Bojack and his last remaining ally. Zangya. The female alien was backing away slowly, an expression of overwhelming terror dominating her effeminate features. Bojack was glaring at her, though she was too focused on Gohan to notice.

Gohan took off from the ground, his aura dancing in his wake as he slowly made his way towards Bojack and Zangya.. The light spectrum returned to normal as he left the ground, the dirt returning to its usual shade of brown rather than the dull grey that Gohan had made it. Zangya tried to back away faster, but before she could turn around and flee, Bojack appeared over her shoulder. Her commander shoved her forward and fired a green ki wave against her back. Zangya was permitted a brief scream as her final act, which faded along with her very being.

The orb of energy that consumed the woman sped towards Gohan. The young warrior juked over it with ease as it struck an outcropping of debris and exploded in a flash of light behind him. Gohan stopped and landed, his fists clenched in fury at Bojack's callousness. Bojack cocked his arm back, cackling in his resonating baritone, another orb forming in the palm of his hand. The light of his power cast a forbidding shadow over the green man's features as he relished in Gohan's anger. Bojack lept into the air and fired a wave of energy on Gohan's position.

Gohan watched the attack fly at him, his orange gi fluttering, his expression wave struck home, erupting in a fiery explosion, the roar of a concussive blast echoing off of the domed ceiling. Bojack was grinning, veins bulging upon his muscles as his eyes frantically scanned for the broken, charred corpse of a child. His arrogant smile faltered and his mouth fell open in shock when the dust cleared, and Gohan stood, unmoved and not a new scratch on him. The earth surrounding the spot he stood on had been vaporized, but the boy was unhurt. Still, he glared at Bojack with murder in his eyes.

Bojack hit the ground and shouted at Gohan.

"I will kill you!"

Bojack lunged at his enemy, whose glare intensified as the alien drew his fist back. Gohan vanished from the invader's perception for but half a second, but reappeared with his fist jutting from Bojack's back. Gohan had charged Bojack in an instant, straight through his offense. Gohan yanked his fist from Bojack's gut, his arm coated in the alien's violet blood. Bojack staggered back, disbelief marring his expression. Still, his stubborn arrogance would not leave him.

"You fool!" Bojack choked out between bloody coughs that splattered against the ground. "Any last words before you die?!"

Bojack cupped his hands in front of him as he molded his ki into a new attack. He spread his arms, splitting the mass of energy into two, one resting in each of his palms, growing in size and intensity with each passing moment.

"Actually, Bojack," Gohan spat with disdain at his wounded enemy. He leaned forward, cupping his hands at his side as a mass of blue energy formed between his palms. "There is one word that comes to mind."

 **"KAME!"**

Bojack thrust his hands forward, the wave of emerald energy surging towards Gohan.

 **"HAME!"**

Gohan reciprocated, thrusting his hands forward, still cupped, as a vibrant blue wave raced towards Bojack.

 **"HAAAAAAAAA!"**

The attacks erupted where they met, a brilliant white light filling the room. Two shadows burst forward in the radiance and met where the attacks had, before passing each other by and halting where the other had stood.

Gohan didn't need to see, or hear Bojack's final scream of anguish as he died. He felt his energy, his life force vanish from the face of the Earth, as the alien invader descended into the depths of Hell where he belonged.

As the smoke cleared, the seas calmed and the earth settled back in place, Gohan's hair and eyes returned to their natural states. The young warrior, having won the battle, collapsed to the ground for some needed rest.

* * *

"Mr. Satan saves the world a second time," Krillin complained from his hospital bed, the newspaper crinkling in his unbroken hand. He was reading an article, the accompanying picture being of Mr. Satan and the son of the tournament backer, X.S. Cash. "This guy makes the front page while we're in the hospital."

Gohan, Krillin and Trunks had been assigned the same room in the hospital, all in various states of injury. Trunks, a visitor from an alternate future timeline, had a broken arm and a fractured femur. Gohan had fractured his wrist punching a hole in Bojack and his ribs had been broken by the green man's bear hug. Krillin's arm had been severely broken in the skirmish, and he'd suffered a mild concussion.

Currently, the victorious trio were taking visitors: Gohan's mother Chi Chi, Trunks' mother Bulma, who was holding her baby, the current Trunks. Krillin's teacher Master Roshi, along with their friends Oolong the pig and Chiaotzu, had just come from visiting Tienshinhan and Yamcha.

"Say what you like," Gohan countered humorously. "But if he hadn't crashed into Bojack and his goons, we might not even be here right now."

"Yeah," Oolong followed up. "When it comes to freak accidents, Mr. Satan's a pro!"

After the laughter had subsided, Oolong offered a new thought.

"Gohan, you defeated Bojack!" he said, as if he had just realized that fact. "Do you know what this means? With the right press, you could be as huge as Mr. Satan! Well, almost, if you could find a big enough wig."

"Mr. Satan doesn't wear a wig!" Bulma stated.

"Oh, come on!" Krillin shot back. "Nothing on that man is real! He probably bought his chin at a thrift store."

"Now, now, Krillin," said Master Roshi sagely. "Appearance can be an important part of a warrior's overall technique. The word 'style' can have many different meanings."

"Is that why you wore a wig when you fought Goku at the twenty-first world tournament?" Bulma asked, a sly edge to her tone. Roshi cleared his throat and ignored the jab.

"You what?!" Krillin shouted, nearly flying out of his bed, but falling back into his pillow as the pain of his broken arm shot through his shoulder.

"Quiet down Krillin," Roshi snipped, before turning his attention to Gohan. "Mr. Satan might not be as powerful as those of you who have mastered your ki, but he doesn't need to be. He finds a different kind of success on the battlefield, a different kind of victory!"

"That's true," said Oolong, sighing wistfully and resting his cheek in his hand. "The man makes bank."

"But I don't want to 'make bank' Master Roshi," Gohan said with a soft smile. "I just want to keep the people I love safe."

"And I'm sure Mr. Satan feels the same about his family," Roshi said, pointing his staff from Krillin to Oolong. "We cannot judge the man on how strong he is, or how weak he is, but on his strength of character."

"What character?" scoffed Chi Chi, setting her hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Gohan did all the work at the Cell Games, and at the Tournament! Where's his wealth and medals? Where's Gohan City?!"

Roshi chuckled noisily.

"So you care all of a sudden, do you Chi Chi?" Roshi intoned.

"Well," Chi Chi replied a bit defensively. "I don't care about all this fighting nonsense, but I do care that my son gets the recognition he deserves. It will work out, when my Gohan is a famous scholar. After this, I'm going to crack down and help Gohan refocus on his studies! No more tournaments, no more aliens or androids, just a brighter future!"

Chi Chi finished her little speech by planting a big kiss on her son's head. Gohan chuckled awkwardly and scratched his nose. Roshi let out a grunt of derision, but kept his thoughts to himself.

"What?" Chi Chi demanded, looking between the people in the room, who were avoiding eye contact with her out of embarrassment for Gohan. "I refuse to let my son be bum, or a loudmouth like Mr. Satan!"

"I can't say there wasn't a time in my youth where I wouldn't have done what that meathead has," the old hermit replied. "But I think Mr. Satan's got more going on than we give him credit for. Let's not waste time on his flaws, let's focus on overcoming our own."

Chi Chi crossed her arms and nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Master," Gohan interjected. "What did you mean by 'a different kind of victory'?"

"There are many martial arts in this world Gohan," Roshi said, stroking his beard whimsically. "Mr. Satan has mastered the art of charisma! He wins battles through charm and intimidation! He's built an empire, not through his fists, but through his words. Mr Satan may not have won the day today, or at the Cell Games, but the way he talks, even I might be convinced otherwise!"

"You mean he mastered the art of the con," muttered Krillin. Roshi shot him a look that said 'watch it'.

"True, he's not an honest man," Roshi remarked. "But what you need to understand Gohan, is not all opponents you face in this world are going to be as strong as you are. Some will be faster, some wiser, some far more cunning. Mr. Satan didn't beat Cell in the ring, but he did defeat you!"

"Defeated me?" Gohan asked, perplexed.

Roshi grinned.

"He mopped the floor with you Gohan. And all it took were three simple words: I defeated Cell, After that, the victory, the glory was his for the taking. But that's not something to be ashamed of, son."

The room listened to Roshi speak, silently inquisitive.

"Simply put, some styles have a leg up over others," he continued. "Some battles can't be won, whether we try or not. Instead, we learn from our defeats, and we come back smarter, stronger, and better prepared. Sometimes the path to victory is to accept defeat and work harder the next time around. Other times we know when a fight isn't worth fighting and we move on with our lives. The only wrong answer is the one that ends with you six feet under! "

"What about you and that magic jar?" Oolong asked, a smug grin peeling across his piggy face.

"There are exceptions," replied the hermit, stroking his beard. "There are plenty of causes worth dying for, but a man doesn't become a wise old master by subscribing to such things."

Gohan looked down at the sheets on his lap for a moment, deep in thought.

"I think I can concede then," Gohan finally said, looking up at the old hermit with a look of resolution. "I don't care about glory. I'm just glad the world is safe. Everyone seems happy about it, especially Mr. Satan."

Roshi laughed.

"You raised a good boy there Chi Chi," he said, walking towards the door. "I'm heading out. Come visit anytime."

"We need to get going too," said Bulma, adjusting the infant in her arms. He was sleeping quite peacefully. "Chi Chi, do you need a ride back to the mountain?"

"I'd appreciate it," Chi Chi said with a smile. "Would you like to stay at our place for dinner?"

As everyone began to file out, Chi Chi and Bulma kissed their boys goodbye, leaving Krillin's forehead cold and alone. Once the door had closed, Trunks flipped on the television in the corner of the room, and the injured fighters settled in for a quiet night. Or at least, they would have if Trunks' father, Vegeta didn't slip in through the window, grabbing a chair to join them.

"I thought those hags would never leave," said the Saiyan Prince, taking a seat by the window.

"Were you listening in on the conversation?" Trunks asked, flipping through channels. Krillin asked if he could see the remote, and Trunks tossed it to him, lobbing it above Gohan's head.

"I was," said Vegeta, directing his permanent glare at Gohan. "And the old man was right about one thing. You lost to Mr. Satan."

"So?" Gohan said, biting his cheek as he spoke. Vegeta was a lot more forthcoming with him since he had defeated Cell, one might even say friendly, but the intense older man still made Gohan uncomfortable.

"So, why do you concede to that weakling?" Vegeta barked. "Why not step forward and take back your pride? You're a Saiyan, and he's a false idol. If anything, you should be up there, in your rightful place above the peons."

"Because that's just not how I want to live my life," Gohan said with a sigh. "I don't want to be famous, I just want to be a scholar."

"Your mother wants you to be a scholar, boy," replied Vegeta coolly. He didn't bother to continue, and turned his attention to the television. "Krillin, either pick something or give me the remote before I finish what Bojack started on you!"

"Don't get your princely tights in a bunch," Krillin muttered, tossing the remote to Vegeta, who began flipping through channels until he found the news. On it, Mr. Satan himself, being interviewed by a buxom reporter who stood level with the Champ's navel. They knew because Mr. Satan wasn't wearing a shirt as he hefted a massive dumbbell in his personal gym.

"Mr. Satan," said the reporter, a young woman with poofy auburn hair. "Most of your battle with the alien invaders went unseen, but it appeared to be a very rapid affair! Please, tell us what happened!"

"Well, Janet," said Mr. Satan, continuing his reps. "I can't give too many details. The glorious tale of what happened on that battlefield is not appropriate for the young viewers at home! But when I saw what those animals did to my students and that innocent competitor, I knew I couldn't stand idly by and wait for them to come for their true target, The Champ!"

"Do you think their true motive was to take you on, Mr. Satan?!" Janet gasped in an exaggerated fashion, covering her mouth with a slight jump, causing her assets to jiggle.

"I don't think it, I know it!" Mr. Satan shouted, tossing the dumbbell aside. He pointed directly at the camera. "After I crushed Cell like the bug he was, it's no wonder that monsters from all across the galaxy are coming to face The Champ! But Hercule Satan ain't no coward. Be it an alien from the stars or a dragon from the sea, The Champ will be there to put evil in its place! I am the greatest!"

Mr. Satan flexed for the camera and produced a phone book from seemingly thin air, only to rip in in half with a valorous war cry as Janet jumped up and down like a cheerleader, her assets bobbing wherever gravity took them.

"You concede to that?" Vegeta muttered, flipping the channel to a show on foreign cuisine. He tossed the remote back to Krillin, who tossed it to Trunks, and crossed his arms. "You would let that cowardly buffoon take what belongs to you?"

Gohan's eyes went from Vegeta, to the television and back again. Vegeta wouldn't normally let the matter rest so easily. Most of the time, the subject would be dropped after a period of extended ranting, posturing and proclamations of Vegeta's superior sense of Saiyan pride. Vegeta setting the issue aside with a mere rhetorical question was almost as bothersome as the alternative.

"I don't think it should really matter," said Gohan, glaring at Vegeta. "I know I won. I know I beat Cell and Bojack. I just…"

Vegeta's eyes flicked towards Gohan.

"My dad is proud of me, and my mom is proud of me," the boy continued. "My friends are proud of me. That's all that matters to me."

"And what about you, Gohan?" Vegeta inquired, locking eyes with the young Saiyan. His expression was far less hard than it usually was. "Can you honestly say that you're proud of yourself?"

"What are you trying to say?" Gohan demanded, a bit forcefully. Vegeta stood up from his chair.

"Come by Bulma's next week when you're done with your scholarly duties," Vegeta said tersely. "Sunday, eight o'clock in the morning. If you're late I'll blow up your house."

He left through the door, giving Trunks a passing wave as he left. No one said anything until he was long gone.

"I think my dad was attempting his first ever pep talk," said Trunks, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise.

"It was weird," said Krillin, struggling for the glass of water on his bedside table. "I would probably go see him anyway Gohan. I don't think Vegeta would survive Chi Chi's wrath if he did blow up your house."

"What's he after?" Gohan asked, looking between his two friends, brow furrowed.

"Knowing my dad," replied Trunks, his eyes trained on the television. "He probably wants to lecture you on your lack of pride."

"I dropped out of that class when I died the first time around," Krillin said snidely, shifting comfortably in his hospital bed. "Turn that down a bit, I think I'm gonna catch some shuteye."

Gohan and Trunks were up for a few hours longer, watching television and chatting idly until Trunks decided to call it a night as well. They turned off the television, and as the sun sank down below the horizon, and the light snores filled the hospital room, Gohan's mind was buzzing with the things Master Roshi and Vegeta had said. It all bothered him to some degree.

Gohan knew, though he was not quick to admit it, that he was was the most powerful person out of everyone he had ever known. According to Roshi, that didn't mean much when someone like Hercule Satan could just pull your victory out from under your feet and galavant off with it. Vegeta implied that Gohan should be ashamed for letting it happen.

Gohan leaned back in his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"What would Dad think about this?" he muttered to himself. He sighed heavily. "He probably wouldn't even care."

It was true that Goku was more about the journey than the destination. He liked working to be the strongest, but actually being at the top was considered boring in his mind. If there was no challenge in life, no goal to strive for, then what was the point? Gohan considered that for a moment.

Gohan was the strongest on the planet, physically, but Mr. Satan, and others had him beaten in things like people skills, strategy, mental fortitude and in some cases, intelligence.

But almost all of them had one thing in common that Gohan lacked: Pride in their skills. Gohan took no pleasure in being the world's strongest warrior. He found no love on the battlefield. Men like Bojack and Cell scared Gohan, men like Vegeta made him want to hide from the world. Men like Mr. Satan made him sad. To have so little pride that they would take it from another…

Gohan felt no pride in his studies. He had been homeschooled his entire life, and books had been his only friend. His mother wanted him to be a successful scholar, a man of refinement and acumen, but at the cost of so much potential. Gohan couldn't lament that however. He simply wasn't meant to be a fighter.

At that moment, an old voice rang through his mind.

 _It is not a sin to fight for the right cause. There are those who words alone will not reach… I know how you feel Gohan. You are gentle. You do not like to hurt…. But it is because you cherish life that you must protect it._

Gohan looked out the window at the darkened sky and considered what it meant to be a proud Saiyan.

* * *

Gohan entered the outskirts of West City on the back of his father's Flying Nimbus, tearing through the clouds at extreme speeds. The young Saiyan sat cross legged on the golden cloud, and he wore his casual clothes, a white button shirt, black pants and black slip-on shoes. His purple training gi and shoes were in the bag slung over his shoulder.

It was Sunday morning, and Gohan had done his homework for the next two weeks. It had taken several all-nighters and rushed meals, but he had left his mother satisfied enough to permit him a day in the city. His mother had been more than smothering in the year since his father had passed away, but it wasn't surprising. Chi-Chi was still in mourning, so it was only natural that she'd be a bit protective of her only son. It helped that Gohan had omitted the fact that he was planning to see Vegeta.

Gohan passed over the city from high above, hoping to avoid the notice of the populace below. The people of West City had experienced enough antics from the Briefs and their contemporaries, including but not limited to, a monkey boy beating up amateur fighters in the street, an influx of green skinned refugees and the sightings of several giant dragons in the same district of the city.

Gohan peeked over the side of the Nimbus cloud.

"I'll never get over just how colorful this place can be," he said cheerily, watching the tiny dots, cars most likely, zip around each other.

Gohan and his friends' injuries had been cured the day after they entered the hospital thanks to a friendly visit from Yajirobe and his precious cargo. A senzu bean a day keeps the doctor away. After everyone had sampled the fat man's magical fruit, they were good as new, and promptly checked themselves out of the hospital heading their separate ways.

Trunks, despite protests from the rest of the group, returned to his own time to rebuild his life there. They'd held an impromptu goodbye party for him, and he'd gone on his way. Tienshinhan and Chiaotzu went on their way as well. Tien had announced at the party that he was leaving the Z-Fighters for good to develop as a hermit in the mountains, training until the day he could stand alongside his Saiyan companions. Chiaotzu determined that he was going to be a hermit as well, with Tien, naturally.

After their goodbyes, the remainder of the Z-Fighters had returned to their usual business. Krillin was taking residence at Kame House with Master Roshi, who appreciated having someone else on the island to do laundry for him. Piccolo returned to Dende's lookout to assist the guardian in his duties, and help the young Namekian adjust to life on Earth. Yamcha continued his career in baseball, and while he was breaking records on the field of dreams, he couldn't fit himself into a steady relationship. Vegeta, after his experiences at the Cell Games, decided to live with Bulma and their baby full time. He dedicated his time to his training, but from what Gohan had overheard he was growing fond of keeping Trunks within eyesight.

Gohan had returned to his studies, but unlike the rest of his team, he wasn't quite satisfied with this decision. The words of Roshi, Vegeta and Android 16 churned in his head at all hours. Vegeta definitely had more to say after their exchange at the hospital. Under normal circumstances, Gohan would pay him no mind, but Gohan felt like he needed to hear Vegeta's stance on Saiyan Pride. Granted, Gohan had heard it many times before, but something about the way the Prince had spoken was irking the boy.

Once the familiar sight of the Capsule Corporation compound came into view, Gohan lept from the Flying Nimbus, permitting it to fly off of its own accord. After ensuring that he would remain out of view from normal Earthlings, Gohan flew into the courtyard of the compound, where Bulma's mother, Panchy Briefs, was tending her garden. Turning at the sound of Gohan hitting the ground, she waved him over.

Panchy was a prime example of airheaded bliss. Always wearing an enticing smile, thick blond hair done up in a series of bobby pins and a complexion that made you think thirty instead of sixty, she was a stunning, if not a bit slow on the uptake.

"Good morning Gohan!" she called airily. "Did you come to visit Bulma and the baby? I'm afraid they went for an early walk in the park."

"Actually Ma'am," Gohan replied, scratching the back of his head. "I'm here to see Vegeta."

"I see!" she bubbled in reply. "Vegeta is in the gravity chamber! Just head around back, past the botanical garden. If you see Dr. Briefs, tell him that I called and cancelled his conference with the Area 23 Defense Committee so he and I could have dinner at Chateau Niche."

"I'll pass the message along," Gohan said, nodding amicably. He jogged away from Panchy and followed her directions to the spherical structure that housed Vegeta's fortress of training and solitude. Gohan could hear the sounds of Vegeta's gruelling of frustration and ki emissions exploding against hard surfaces resonated against the metal polymer walls designed by Bulma and her father to contain Vegeta's fury.

Gohan checked the control panel by the door, confirming via the display that the machine was set to two hundred times normal gravity, meaning Vegeta was likely training in his Super Saiyan state. Gohan figured it best to be prepared for the conditions within, and dropped his bag. He took a deep breath and focused on his inner power. With a gentle grunt his hair flashed to gold and his eyes to green, and he transformed into his standard Super Saiyan state. Gohan picked the bag back up, hit the switch to open the door and entered the gravity chamber.

Immediately, Gohan felt his body hit by the intense gravitational pull induced by the panels beneath the floor. His teeth clicked together, his diaphragm dropped causing an unexpectedly painful intake of air, and his shoulders hunched, but he quickly acclimated. Gohan resumed normal breathing after a moment of concentration, and he dropped his bag to the floor with an unusually loud thump.

The immediate entrance to the gravity chamber was a changing room, with four lockers, and a shower with a sign that said do not operate when gravity is elevated. A door to the training gym was through a door on Gohan's left. The young Saiyan set his bag on the bench and he changed into his gi, storing his clean clothes in an empty locker. After tightening the sash at his waist, Gohan took a deep breath and proceeded to raise his power, setting his hand on the doorknob to the training gym. He had a feeling of what was coming next, he could feel it in the aura Vegeta was putting out. The Prince knew he was there, and he was waiting.

Gohan slammed the door open and rushed into the training area, utilizing the afterimage technique to gain his bearings in the room. Twenty fuzzy images of Gohan phased into existence throughout the room, each one the point where he was stepping off into his next evasive leap. Gohan looked about for Vegeta, but he was nowhere within sight.

At that moment, Vegeta's thick, muscled leg decided to make itself known, appearing in Gohan's next planned position in an attempt to catch the boy in an upward kick. Gohan ended his technique and dropped to his knees, leaning back in time to avoid the attack by the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta followed up with a downward kick, which Gohan deftly blocked with his forearm.

Gohan rolled to the side and leapt away from Vegeta who came after him in was also in his Super Saiyan form, his aura trailing after him. He raised his hands and fired off a series of small, non threatening blasts at Gohan, who acted quickly to smack each one away diverting them into the walls and floor.

Vegeta suddenly vanished in a burst of speed, but Gohan felt him coming at the left. Gohan turned to defend but realized just too late that the attack was a feint, and just barely ducked under Vegeta's fist. Gohan lashed out with his leg and made contact with his opponent's midsection, shoving him away. Vegeta let out a satisfying grunt of shock, but was undeterred, grabbing Gohan's ankle and swinging him wildly towards the wall.

Gohan threw out his hands and caught himself against the wall before his face could make contact, and he pushed off of it, bending himself back far enough in the air to get the leverage needed to kick out of Vegeta's grip. He twisted and blocked a series of rapid punches, though one made it through his defense, crashing into his jaw and sending him rolling to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Gohan managed to get to his feet, only for Vegeta to appear in front of him. Gohan managed to dodge three jabs, grabbing Vegeta's arm and diverting the attack, opening him up for a counter. Gohan spun past his opponent and slammed his elbow into the back of Vegeta's neck, the Prince being thrust forward with a grunt of irritation. The Saiyans both turned to face each other, Gohan throwing a hard punch. Vegeta caught it with ease and drove a fist into Gohan's gut.

Gohan doubled over, a pained cough escaping his lips. Vegeta drew back and slammed his fist into Gohan's face, keeping a grip on his arm to prevent escape as he punched the boy over and over. After five or six dizzying blows, Gohan inhaled and let out a mighty roar, flaring his aura just enough to push Vegeta off of him.

The Super Saiyans' boots hit the ground for just a moment before they came together in a blur of motion. At the center of the gravity chamber was something indeterminable by the average human eye. A fuzzy mass that sometimes resembled something humanoid, surrounded by a blazing golden glow, pulsed rhythmically as it gradually floated off of the ground. Gohan and Vegeta were punching, kicking, blocking and dodging, desperately searching for an opening in each other's techniques, but neither were finding any purchase.

Soon, it became a battle, not of technique, but of pressure. The Saiyans began raising their power levels, attempting to push the other back with their expanding auras. Their grunts of exertion became cries of frustration, and then anger, their emotions ever intensifying as the battle progressed. The gravity chamber began to tremor erratically. The control panel at the center of the room was smoking, and cracks began to appear on the floor as the pressure mounted by the Saiyans intensified. Klaxons began sounding through the system speakers.

 _ **Distortion detected in the inertial coils! Please deactivate the system!**_

 _ **Distortion detected in the inertial coils! Please deactivate the system!**_

The warriors let out a simultaneous cry of rage and flew off of eachother, flying backwards until they struck opposite walls. Gohan placed his hands against his forehead, palms facing out. Vegeta drew his arms back to one side.

 **"Masenko..!"**

 **"Galick!"**

 _ **Manual Override. Emergency Shutdown Initiated.**_

Gohan and Vegeta were cut off when the gravity suddenly dropped back down to normal levels. The ki they put out to keep them afloat in the intense environment was suddenly massive overkill for the normal gravity of Earth. The pair rocketed towards the ceiling at extreme speeds, their minds unable to register the change immediately through the haze of combat induced fury.

SLAM!

The Super Saiyans impacted with the ceiling of the spherical chamber with incredible force, leaving sizable dents before they dropped to the floor with a painful crash. They both reverted to their normal states, panting heavily as the door to the changing room slowly opened, and Dr. Briefs made his way inside. A cigarette hung loosely from his teeth as he puffed the smoke from the corner of his mouth. His signature black kitty, Scratch, was perched on his shoulder.

"My Goodness," he said with a lackadaisical air about him. The moustachioed Doctor walked over to the control panel, tool bag clutched in his hand. He opened it up and began examining the damage. "You boys scared the dickens out of me while I made my morning coffee. It looks like you overloaded the inertial coils again, Vegeta. I'll make some adjustments and have it repaired after my trip to Area 23."

Gohan managed to get himself onto his feet after a moment, and brushed himself off. Vegeta was sitting on the floor, his left leg curled inward as he rested his arm on it.

"That's right," Gohan said, snapping his fingers in a gesture of recollection. "Mrs. Briefs said to tell you, if I saw you, that she cancelled your meeting in Area 23 so you could go to dinner!"

"Thank you Gohan," said Dr. Briefs, turning and checking his watch. "I suppose I'd better-"

The cigarette dropped from the Doctor's mouth.

"Excuse me, boys," he said, before sprinting out through the door.

Gohan and Vegeta were silent for a bit before Vegeta spoke first.

"You've gotten slower," Vegeta said harshly, standing and straightening the tank top that hung loosely from his shoulders.

"You had the gravity set to two hundred," Gohan replied tersely.

"You know that's not what I mean, Gohan," Vegeta shot back.

Tensions were high between the two because of history. They rarely interacted in the seven years since Vegeta had first arrived on Earth, and when they had it was almost exclusively a violent affair. Vegeta had tried on different occasions to injure or kill Gohan. Gohan couldn't say he hadn't done the same to the Prince.

Something changed however, when Gohan had saved Vegeta's life during the climactic battle against Cell. The act had cost Gohan the use of his arm for the remaining duration of the battle, but it had cemented a mutual respect between the Saiyan Prince and the hybrid. Vegeta now referred to Gohan by his first name, which was an honor in its own right, as it wasn't a Saiyan name. Vegeta refused to refer to Gohan's father by his human name, opting to refer to him exclusively as Kakarot, his birth name.

"I did just fine against you," Gohan said dismissively.

"That's the problem!" Vegeta snapped at Gohan, slamming his fist into the wall. "Arrogant brat! You should have had me beaten to a pulp or pinned to the ground unable to fight in five seconds! Instead you wasted time trying to give me a fair fight!"

"What's wrong with a fair fight?" Gohan shot back defensively. "I didn't come here to hurt you, Vegeta!"

"Fighting isn't fair!" Vegeta reeled on Gohan and stomped up to him. Gohan was getting tall enough to the point where he was almost as tall as the Prince himself. "Did Frieza fight fair? What about Cell? Bojack and his cronies weren't fighting fair when they murdered five people in cold blood!"

"That was different and you know it!" Gohan shot back, his aura flaring. Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he drew his fist back. Gohan took a defensive stance, but was surprised when Vegeta backed off with a scoff.

"You haven't been training," Vegeta said simply, a vile sneer marring his feature. "I can tell by looking at you, by assessing your style when we fought. Have you even attempted a Super Saiyan 2 transformation since you fought Bojack? Was that the first time you'd done it since Cell?"

"I don't have any reason to go that far," Gohan replied. "The world is at peace, there's nothing left to fight."

"There's always someone," Vegeta spat. "It just hasn't landed right in front of your face."

Gohan scowled and turned his gaze away from Vegeta, which served only to irk the man further.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Vegeta said, crossing his arms. "You think Frieza brought his whole army to Namek? You think Dr. Gero was the only madman on Earth capable of creating monsters like Cell or the Androids?"

"I'm not naive," Gohan replied. His tone was harsh, his temper warm. "But I've done my part. I killed Cell, and I killed Bojack. I'm done fighting. If you think there are monsters lurking around every corner, then…"

"Bojack should have been a wake up call for you, but clearly you're too cowardly to realize that."

"Wake up call for what?" Gohan shouted, incensed by Vegeta's remark. "That there are aliens out there in space, waiting to kill everyone? I don't see what I'm supposed to do about it!"

"What then?" Vegeta barked, practically shouting. "You'll hide on your mountain with your cow of a mother the next time some monster rolls around? You'll leave all the work to myself and Piccolo while you get fat? Where the hell is your sense of pride, you ignorant little moron?"

"Shut up," Gohan muttered, glaring at Vegeta with vitriol. "You don't get it. I'm not a fighter. I don't like killing people, no matter what planet they're from. I hate fighting! I hate violence! I'm not doing this any more!"

"What kind of Saiyan are you?" Vegeta hissed, his hands balled into shaking fists as he absorbed Gohan's words. "How can a spineless worm like you be Kakarot's son?"

"I'm not my father," Gohan muttered sternly.

"That's your bitch mother talking," Vegeta hissed angrily.

"Say one more word about my mother," Gohan warned. "And you'll regret it."

Vegeta sneered with a smug air about him.

"She's a-"

Gohan was Super Saiyan again and had gathered energy into his palms before Vegeta could react. The golden blast impacted with the Saiyan Prince and carried him forward, through the wall of the gravity chamber and into the skies over West City. Gohan released the attack and cried out in rage, his golden Super Saiyan aura whipping about as his primal scream filled the air. The ground trembled under the young half-Saiyan's fury.

Vegeta came in fast through the hole that he had blown through, his fist impacting hard with Gohan's jaw. He had transformed as well, and continued after Gohan, staying almost on top of him as he rained blows down on the boy, a look of unyielding rage dancing in his eyes. Gohan blocked and weaved through the attacks until his back hit the wall, and he rolled along it. Vegeta's fists followed, leaving sizable holes in the surface of the chamber. Gohan managed to dart to the side and flank Vegeta before unleashing another ki wave at him. Vegeta blocked it and swatted it back towards Gohan who dodged it in favor of flying up through the ceiling of the chamber, with Vegeta hot on his tail.

The pair was rocketed through the chamber, causing an explosion that left a sizable crater in Dr. Briefs' lawn. Vegeta managed to catch up to Gohan, and the two came to blows high above the city, traveling at such speed and attacking with such ferocity the impacts were creating visible shockwaves in the sky.

Gohan and Vegeta passed through a cloud formation as they struggled to break each other's defenses. During a burst of punches and kicks that erupted between them, Vegeta saw his chance and caught Gohan's leg in his palm when Gohan attempted to kick the older man in the kidney. He tried to punch Gohan in the jaw, but missed as Gohan disappeared in a burst of speed. Vegeta ducked forward and dodged another attack from Gohan, and countered with an elbow to the boy's gut.

Vegeta spun in the air with a wide kick, his shin crashing into Gohan's temple, sending the boy careening through the air and towards the ground. The pair were five thousand feet in the air however, so it would be a long fall. Gohan managed to right himself in the air after falling for a time, and before he could regain his senses, Vegeta was on him again.

Gohan was defenseless, unable to bring up his guard as Vegeta's fists slammed into his face and torso repeatedly, a flurry of blows that seemed unending. Vegeta finished by joining his fists over his head interlinking his fingers and hammering them into Gohan's head. Gohan went flying to the ground, spinning wildly through the air until he struck earth, bouncing off and skipping haphazardly across the ground, leaving trenches in his wake. Gohan realized that Vegeta had drawn the conflict to the wilds about five miles outside West City limits. Only dinosaurs and bandits roamed out here, and they were likely getting quite a show.

Once Gohan had slowed enough, he flipped and managed to land on his feet, dodging to the left as Vegeta came down from high above, rocketing towards him. Gohan spun and aimed at Vegeta, his right arm and palm extended as he fired off a series of ki blasts that pursued the Prince. Vegeta ducked into an outcropping of stone and let the blasts impact with the earth, exploding noisily and creating a cloud of flame and dust.

"If you're going to fight me," Vegeta shouted as he sped vertically into the air, his eyes locked on the young man. "You'd best have the balls to finish me!"

Vegeta stopped in the air and began powering up further. His shout echoed across the barren wasteland, his muscles bulking as he entered his Ascended Super Saiyan form. His hair paled further in color, and took a rigid edge in its shape. His aura expanded and its usual flow intensified like a river turning into rapids.

Gohan in turn continued to power up further. He didn't have a form like Ascended Super Saiyan, but after his intense training in the Time Chamber, Gohan could reach a power level like it in his normal Super Saiyan form.

"Good," Vegeta remarked with a harsh grin. "Show me a real fight, you little punk."

The two burst forward coming together in an explosion of motion and 's blows were hitting hard, smashing against Gohan's blocks with painful intensity. Gohan ducked under a jab and came up, slamming his fist into Vegeta's chin in a nasty uppercut, to which Vegeta responded by flipping backward and catching Gohan on the chin with his heavy boot.

They both righted themselves and came together again, trading blows at an incredible pace. Gohan's speed was his advantage as he dodged attacks and rushed through Vegeta's defenses, landing hit after hit which served to enrage his opponent further. However, Gohan could feel his own frustration growing. In his Ascended state, Vegeta's muscle mass had increased his durability tenfold, and it was as if Gohan were striking armor each time he landed a hit on Vegeta, barely hurting his opponent. A war of attrition had begun, and Gohan desperately wanted it to end.

Darting backwards to avoid another kick from Vegeta, Gohan turned and sped away, his aura trailing behind him. Startled, then infuriated, Vegeta gave chase, pursuing the young saiyan across the wasteland. Vegeta threw his arms forward, unleashing a series of ki blasts after the boy. Gohan deftly avoided them as they spun out and struck the ground, turning in midair and responding with blasts of his own. Vegeta's form prevented him from effectively catching up to Gohan.

"Trying to wear me out are you?" Vegeta hissed. "This is why I've been training."

With a shout Vegeta's aura burst and he rocketed forward at speeds Gohan hadn't thought possible. Gohan just avoided Vegeta's charge, and looked down, realizing he had reached his destination. Gohan avoided another charge by Vegeta, narrowly dodging while swiping at the Prince with a retaliatory kick before bursting down towards the ground. He punched through the earth cleanly and entered a massive cavern.

Larger than the Brief's compound and housing a giant underground lake, it was West City's primary clean water source. The lake itself was almost a mile wide, the water colored a murky black in the shadow of the cave. The darkness was disrupted by the shaft of light revealed by the fresh hole above Gohan. Bulma had shown him this cavern once, before the Cell Games, when Gohan was working on his geology studies.

Gohan powered down to his normal state and dropped into the lake feet first, slowly enough to avoid creating too great of a ripple. The falling debris he had brought with him masked Gohan's entry point as he lowered himself further, his back touching the bottom of the lake as he waited for Vegeta to enter the cave.

As the signature glow of the Super Saiyan became visible through the murky haze created by the water, Gohan drew his hands back. He gathered the energy in his palms as he prepared a Kamehameha wave, careful not to reveal his position. Orbs of ki began striking the water and impacting with the lake bed surrounding Gohan with muted impacts, but he dared not move. Vegeta was firing randomly, as Gohan's preparation had triggered the Prince's senses, but not enough for him to be able to pinpoint the boy.

At the last moment, as the blasts came closer and closer to Gohan's position, Gohan's aura came to life. He entered his Super Saiyan state, and the familiar blue glow of Kamehameha appeared between his palms. Gohan wordlessly threw his hands forward. The wave erupted up from the water, and he felt it strike his target. The wave swallowed several incoming ki blasts before striking Vegeta, sending him flying out of the cave just has he had been forced out of the gravity chamber, carrying him for miles. Gohan knew the attack wasn't fatal, but he'd hoped it would teach Vegeta a lesson..

When he had sensed that Vegeta had been thrown far enough, Gohan disengaged the attack and flew from the water and out of the cave. As Gohan touched the ground, he was breathing heavily, waiting for Vegeta to make his move as he caught his breath.

Gohan snapped to attention as Vegeta flew back over the horizon, sporting contusions and lesions all over his body from the hit he had just taken. The tank top and the right leg of Vegeta's pants had been blown away. Still, the Prince of all Saiyans looked irritated if nothing else, as if he were having a minor argument rather than a real fight.

"Pathetic," Vegeta called from above. "You haven't even come close to putting up an actual fight, no matter how angry you try to make me think you are."

"Get real," Gohan spat back at his opponent, motioning towards the new hole they'd created over the cavern.. "What do you call that back there?"

"A clever maneuver followed by a gentle slap on the cheek," Vegeta replied, a sadistic look in his eye. "Bulma takes it harder than that."

"Shut up!" Gohan shouted firing off a string of golden ki blasts. Vegeta raised his arms defensively, but let them all strike him as he made no effort to get out of the way. Gohan continuously fired wave after wave until Vegeta had been overtaken by a massive cloud of smoke that slowly dispersed into the sky and across the ground.

When it finally cleared, Vegeta floated there, unhurt. He lowered his arms, and spit off to the side.

"This is sad," the Prince replied. "I'll ask you again boy, where is your pride?"

Gohan's hands balled into fists, and he glared up at Vegeta silently.

"Say something!" Vegeta shouted. "Answer my question! Where is your damned pride?!"

"I don't have any use for pride!" Gohan shouted back. "I'm perfectly fine with who I am!"

"Is that why you let Mr. Satan have his way?!" Vegeta's remark was accusatory. "You're so pathetic that you can't even take pride in your own victory, so you let a buffoon have everything that belongs to you!"

"I don't want it," Gohan said. "He can have the pride and the glory, I just want to be a normal kid."

"You aren't normal!" Vegeta threw his arms wide, spittle flying from his lips. "You're beyond normal! You're better than normal! You are a Saiyan warrior!"

"I don't want it!" Gohan screamed, his aura expanding as the earth around them shook violently. "I don't want any damn pride!"

"You are a liar!" Vegeta's aura flared right back at Gohan, and the earth shook further. "You must be proud of something in your sad sack life!"

"Fine!" Gohan shouted back at him. "You want to know where my pride is? My pride is with my dad and Mr. Piccolo! I'm proud of them both for their strength! I'm proud of the lessons they taught me!"

"Liar!" Vegeta shouted, firing a ki blast down at Gohan in anger. Gohan, overwhelmed by his frustration, made no effort to dodge and took the attack full force as it knocked him to the ground and sent him skidding. "You said you hated fighting! What have Kakarot or the Namekian ever taught you other than violence?"

"I'm proud of everything my mom gave me!" Gohan shouted to the heavens from his back. "I'm proud of everything I've learned in my studies!"

 _"LIAR!"_ Vegeta screamed, striking Gohan with another ki blast, sending the boy tumbling, blood flying from wounds appearing across his arms and torso. "From everything I've seen, you run from those books like Krillin runs from a fight! The first chance you get, you come running to Bulma's on the pretense of visiting friends, when really, you want to escape from your mother!"

 _"BE QUIET!"_ Gohan screamed back at Vegeta. The air left in his lungs escaped all at once as Vegeta's knee came crashing into his stomach. Vegeta hopped into a standing position as Gohan choked at his feet, blood flying from his throat as he struggled to regain his breath.

Vegeta grabbed Gohan by the hair and dragged him over to a dirty puddle that had been left by the last rain in the region, and held the boy over it. In his reflection, Gohan could see that his eye was half lidded, likely swollen from a hit to the face had taken earlier.

"What do you see?" Vegeta demanded loudly. "And don't you dare lie to me again."

"I see myself," Gohan said slowly. Studying his own features, he started to see more. "I see… my mom and dad."

"I see a coward," Vegeta replied harshly. "I see someone who fears the truth that lives within that reflection."

"I don't understand," Gohan muttered. Vegeta yanked Gohan away and threw him to the ground.

"You say you see your mother and father," Vegeta said, looking into the puddle for himself. "When I looked in my reflection when I was young, I always saw my father. The man I wanted to be. King of the Saiyan Race."

Gohan was taken aback by the sudden, and frankly out of place admission by Vegeta.

"Until the day Kakarot defeated Frieza," Vegeta continued, turning to look at Gohan, who was half laying on his back, propped up on his elbows. "Suddenly the past wasn't the prison that it used to be. I was my own man, and the monster that killed my father wasn't there to haunt me anymore."

Vegeta walked towards Gohan until he stood about five feet away, and he plopped down on the ground, sitting on level with Gohan, though he was still in his Ascended Saiyan state.

"I was ready to become the king I was meant to be," Vegeta continued. "I was jubilant that the two creatures who could possibly be stronger than I was died on the same planet so very far away. I was going to conquer Earth first, wish for my immortality and become Emperor Vegeta. But then some punk kid decided to put me in my place, and made me realize that perhaps I wasn't the king I had wanted to be."

Gohan blinked as the memory came back to him. The last time he and Vegeta had ever fought was when Gohan had challenged him, after Porunga, the Namekian Dragon, had brought them back to Earth. That was almost six years ago.

"Gohan," said Vegeta, looking the boy straight in the eye. "I have seen you grow from a naive little brat into the strongest warrior in this entire galaxy. You have blown away the expectations of everyone you know, myself included. You have great potential, but you squander it to please that woman."

"I told you, I hate fighting," Gohan replied quietly, tearing his eyes away from Vegeta to scan across the ground.

"What does that matter?" Vegeta demanded, punching the ground and leaving a small crater. "It's not about competition anymore, damned fool!"

"You're one to talk!" Gohan spat, glaring at Vegeta. "All you care about is beating my dad."

"And what is it you care about?" Vegeta asked firmly.

"I care about my mom, and my friends," Gohan said. "I like-"

"You talk a lot about other people," Vegeta interrupted, tilting his head to the side. "You said you were proud of your father, Piccolo and your mother, and you were proud of their guidance."

"And?" Gohan inquired, tiring of the conversation.

"Not once have you named an accomplishment of your own, that you are proud of," Vegeta said, pointing to Gohan. "You have no pride in yourself."

Gohan sat silently, as he pondered Vegeta's words. Of everything Gohan had done over his life, the adventures, the battles, the friends he'd made… what had he done that he could be happy with? Vegeta made no comment as tears made their way down Gohan's cheeks, and he dropped out of Super Saiyan again.

"I didn't ask to be a Super Saiyan," Gohan choked out. Vegeta listened on quietly. "I didn't ask to be my father's son."

"But you proclaimed it so loudly in front of Bojack," Vegeta remarked.

"I just…" Gohan chuckled weakly as he rubbed at his eyes. He couldn't believe that he was opening up to Vegeta of all people. "I had to remind myself that I was Goku's son in that moment, you know? I am proud of my dad, and I love him, and I rely on him for courage whenever I fight, even if it's just his memory. I just wish I could have been a normal human kid."

"But you aren't," said Vegeta. "You're a member of the Saiyan Race, whether you like it or not. Are you ashamed of that?"

"I don't take any pride in it," Gohan said shortly. Vegeta chuckled. "I don't take pride in the times I've had to fight or kill just because I was there to do it."

"I know," Vegeta replied. "But I think you're forgetting a few things about this Super Saiyan curse."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked, his brow wrinkling in irritation.

"You've done a lot more than fight, and kill with it," Vegeta said. "You've saved many lives, Gohan, including mine. You've saved this planet from Frieza, Cell, Bojack and me. If you hadn't been there I would have killed your father and been on my way. I also heard about what happened with that cyborg during the wait for the Cell Games."

Gohan scratched his nose. Recalling the time he had helped out that cute girl, Lime deal with the cyborg Mercenary Tao.

"Unlike me, you give a damn," Vegeta continued. "I look at these Earthlings and I see weak trash with nothing to live for. Every time Bulma drags me to the mall or some such place I just want to scorch it and call the Frieza Forces to occupy it so I can just move on with my life. But then I remember that I actually _like_ Bulma, and that I have a son, so I make her buy me lunch."

Gohan cleared his throat at the remark about Bulma, amusement tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Your father and Piccolo and I have one thing in common," said Vegeta, ignoring Gohan's little outburst. "We train to get stronger for the sake of getting stronger. For Kakarot, life is a game to be won. Piccolo will fight to defend the people he likes, otherwise he's indifferent. I just see someone willing to fight me and I have the urge to take them down a peg. You however, are something entirely different."

"What are you saying?" Gohan asked, resting his chin in his palm, genuinely interested in what Vegeta had to say. It was weird, hearing him talk about someone else without a string of insults woven in.

"You're humble," Vegeta said tersely. "It's disgusting, really. You don't fight for glory, or for the sake of battle. You fight because you don't want to see anyone get hurt. You fight, not because you have to, but because you can. You're a boy scout through and through, but your motivations are pure, even more so than Kakarot's."

"Thanks, I guess," Gohan said, unsure if he should be taking Vegeta's statement as a compliment or not.

"Gohan," Vegeta said, all edge sliding off of his gravely voice. He dropped his Super Saiyan state and returned to normal, his muscles deflating slightly. "I cannot tell you where your pride should come from, it's not my place. But as far as I'm concerned, you have a lot to be proud of. I was awake enough to see what you did to Bojack, and seeing your conviction, and your resolution to ending that battle and protecting all of us, I felt pride for you as a Saiyan."

Gohan was completely lost for words. His eyes were wide, and his lip was quivering as the floodgates threatened to open again. Gohan hadn't considered anything beyond the fighting and the killing. During his fight with Bojack and his Galaxy soldiers, Gohan had forgotten about all the people who had been on the island with them. He hadn't given a thought about Lime, his mother, or anyone else in the aftermath of the Cell Games. He'd just been happy it was over. Now, though, Vegeta had him considering the bigger picture. What would have happened to all of those people had Gohan not stepped in? The very thought got the tears falling again.

"I don't want to fight anymore," He choked out. "But I don't want to see anyone else die… I just… wish my dad was here."

"Your father is gone," Vegeta said, standing up and extending his hand. "But those who would harm this planet and its people are not. You're the kind of man who would stand up in this world's time of need. I cannot claim that same level of conviction, and I don't think Piccolo could either. It's not an easy burden to bear, but I can think of no one better suited for it."

"I think I understand," said Gohan, taking Vegeta's hand and allowing the Prince to heft him up onto his feet. "My dad's path was to become the strongest there is, but I don't care about that."

"What is your path?" Vegeta asked, a smile playing on his lips. "Where is your Saiyan Pride?"

Gohan returned Vegeta's smile with one of his own.

"I can't say for sure yet," Gohan said. "But I'll try to find it. I'll start by doing what my father can't."

"And what might that be?" Vegeta inquired, crossing his arms.

Gohan began to yell, his voice slowly rising along with his power level. His hair spiked up, standing on end as blue bolts of bioelectricity sparked around his body.

"I'll defend this world from anyone who might seek to harm it! I'll defend my home and the people who live here! I'll defend my family and my friends until I join my father in Heaven! I am Son Gohan, Defender of Earth!"

Gohan's aura exploded once again, clouds of dust flowing across the wasteland as a powerful wind tore across the Earth, originating from that one child. Vegeta stood straight, smiling at the young Super Saiyan 2 who stared back at him with a hard glare.

"Gohan!"

The Saiyans turned to see Piccolo floating above them, his power level raised, his turban and cape abandoned as he looked between them.

"I sensed a battle taking place, but could only feel the two of you," Piccolo shouted down at them with agitation lacing his voice. "What the Hell is going on here?"

Gohan and Vegeta shared a glance, then turned to the Namekian to give their simultaneous reply.

"Training."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. This is a one off idea I've had for many years, another take on the classic "Gohan doesn't stop training for no reason" theme you see so often. In all honesty, Gohan's character direction is the one thing that's always bothered me the most about Dragonball Z and on, and I just am not a fan of Super at all.**

 **I hope my characterizations were passable, and I appreciate any feedback you might have to give. If this story gains enough traction, and if comments ask for more, I will continue this story into the Saiyaman Saga with some original villain ideas I've been working with.**

 **For now though, I consider this story an experimental one-off and I look forward to any feedback you have to give!**

 **-WesternEpoch**


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